Automatic self-propelled toy tank



. SMOCK.

C. A. LEWIS AND H. E AUTOMATIC SELF PROPELLED TOY TANK.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 15. I919.

Patented June 15, 1920.

INVENTORJ CH/IELES A. Lw/5 H 4e0L0 5. 50406 8 E 8 8 M T l W CHARLES A. LEWIS AND HAROLDns srooir, or DAYTON, OHIO.

AUTOMATIC SELF-PROPELLED TOY TANK.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, CHARLES A. LEWIS and HAROLD 1E. Saloon, citizens of the United States, and residents of Dayton, in the county of Montgomery and State of Ohio, have invented a new and Improved Automatic Self-Propelled Toy Tank, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This'inventon relates to an' improvement in self-propelled toy tanks, and has for one of its objectsto provide a means which will automatically operate to cause the tank, when. driven, to travel or move forward in an irregular course or path. v

Another object is to provide a meansfor causing one end of the tank to move up and down in a vertical plane when driven.

A further object is to provide aIself-propelled toy tank having guns movably mounted thereon and providing a means cooperating with said guns to cause them to be oscillated or moved-when the tank is in motion.

A further object is to provide a self-propelled toy tank which is simple, yet rugged, in construction and is inexpensive to manufacture, which will simulate a real tank.

This is accomplished in the present invention by providing a means which, when the tank is in motion, will automatically move the guns, cause the tank to move forward in an irregularpath, and to cause one end of the tank to move up and down.

Other advantages of the invention will be apparent from the accompanying drawings and following description of one of the preferred forms of this invention, in which similar characters of reference refer to corresponding parts in the several views.

Figure 1 is a plan view of the invention with the top. partly broken away to show the motor and drive connection, a means for oscillating the, guns, and one of the means for obtaining the irregular forward motion;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a diagram serving to illustrate the irregular path taken by the tank.

In the preferred form shown in the drawings, the main tank body portion 1 may be suitably made of stamped sheet metal but any other suitable material may be used. Guns 2 aremovably mounted in the body and Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed March 15, 1919.

mounted thereon,

wound by the handle Patented June 15, 1920. Serial No. 282,832.

are shown projecting through barbettes 3.

In the formshown the guns are carried at pivot points 1 in a slot 5. The body por 131011 which is carried by a rear axle 6 anda front axle 7 onwlnch are mounted a pair of wheels 8 and 8 and 9 and 9, respectlvely. As a means to obtain an irregular vertical or an up-and-down. motion of one endof the-tank, the wheels9 andl) are eccentrically mounted on the axle 7 so that as the wheels are turnedone end of the tank body will be movedup and down in a vertical plane, but any other suitable means may be used to produce this effect.

suitable motor for self propulsion such as a spring motor 10 is provided to drive the axle 6 through the smaller gear '18 gear 12, which is mounted on the drum 11 and is actuated by the spring 10 when 14:, through the pawl and ratchet connection 15 and 16, the func- U011: ofv which, it is apparent, is to permit meshing with the larger 1 the spring to be held ina wound condition.

An axle 17 having the crank connections 18 and 19 is provided to turn with the gear 13. A link member 20 connects the crank member 18 with the axle 7 to permit oscillating movement of one end ofthe axle 7 in the slotted opening 21 in the tank body. This is but one of the suitable means which is utilized'to automatically obtain a movement in an irregi'ilar path when the tankis driven. Another link member 22 is shown connecting the crank 19 with a connecting plate 23 carried by one of the movable guns and from this other link members 24, 25 connect the connecting plate 23 with other guns 2-2, so that as the crank 19 recipro cates the link 22 such motion is communicated to the other pivoted guns throughthe respective connecting plate and link members to produce an oscillating. motion of said guns. This too is only illustrative of one of the many methods which may be used to produce the oscillating guns upon movement of the tank. On the top of the tank body there is a turret 26 in which a gun 27 is mounted, which gun may also besuitably connected to the other guns to produce an oscillating motion thereof.

While only one preferred form of the inthereon, means for moving said gun,

changes and modifications thereof may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of this invention.

Having thus described our invention we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. In a self-propellec toy tank mounted on wheels, a body therefor, a gun mounted and means for moving one of the wheels to cause the tank to move in an irregular path.

2. In a self-propelled toy tank having a body mounted on rear wheels and a front wheel mounted on an axle, one end of which is fixed and the other movable, a motor to drive said rear wheels, and means to reciprocate the other end of said axle to steer the tank in an irregular path when said rear wheels are driven.

3. In a self-propelled toy tank, a body, a motor therefor, a pair of wheels carrying one end of said body, driving mechanism connecting said motor and said wheels to move the tank, an axle, and another pair of wheels eccentrically mounted thereon to carry the other end of said body, whereby one end of said tank has an up-and-down motion when driven.

4. In a self-propelled toy tank a body mounted on a rear axle having a pair of wheels thereon, a front axle, a pair of wheels eccentrically mounted thereon, one end of said front axle being slidably mounted to permit an oscillating movement thereof, whereby when the tank is moved it has an irregular forward movement, one end having an oscillating up-and-down movement.

5. In a self-propelled toy tank mounted on wheels, means for oscillating one end of said tank in a vertical plane when in motion, said means including eccentrically mounted wheels, and a means for oscillating one of said wheels in a horizontal plane to cause the tank when in motion to travel an irregular path.

6. A self-propelled toy tank comprising a body, wheels for one end of said body, a motor, a driving connection between said motor and said wheels, a wheel for the other end of said body carried eccentrically with respect thereto to produce an up and downward movement of the body when in motion, and a means for oscillating one of the wheels in a substantially horizontal plane to cause the tank to move in a substantially sinuous path.

7 A self-propelled toy tank including a body, guns therefor, wheels at each end of said body to carry same, a motor, a driving connection between said motor and "a wheel at one end of said body, an eccentric connection for'the wheel at the other end of said body to produce vertical oscillatiton thereof when said tank is in motion, and a connecting means between said motor and said guns for oscillating saidguns. i

CHARLES A. LEIVIS. HAROLD E. SMOCK. 

